Busted Bracket
by GEM1588
Summary: Sometimes when you lose - you really win. Bamon. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Let's pretend Elena fell off a cliff and Damon is happily single.

* * *

**~March 26, 2015 1:45 pm~**

"There is no way in hell that is happening," Bonnie proclaimed staring at the idiot in front of her. Only a fool would put their money on an 11 seed to make it into the elite eight, especially when they are playing a strong 2 seed.

"You do realize that I've partied at UCLA and Gonzaga," Damon replied.

"When? 1952?" Bonnie joked. For someone as old as Damon he really didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

"Anyway," Damon ignored her. "UCLA is the clear winner."

"Maybe for parties but not for this." Bonnie opened her notebook looking for the stats to prove him wrong.

"Put your bible away." Damon snatched the spiral bound cheat sheet away from the witch. "And just bet me."

"I'm not going to bet you!" Bonnie shook her head. It was too easy – like betting on whether or not the grass was green.

"Why not?"

"Because I have morals!"

He scoffed at her remark.

"I _have_ morals," Bonnie repeated. "We can still bet but we need to pick a different game." She scrolled through the Sweet Sixteen lineup. "What about Notre Dame and Wichita State? That should be a close one." Inwardly Bonnie was sweating. She had Notre Dame in her bracket, expecting them to top out Kansas. But the number two seed's shocking loss had her a little worried.

"Whatever you say O Mighty Queen of the Bracket." Damon leaned over her shoulder looking at the game schedule.

"Who do you want?" Bonnie asked.

"Who do _you_ want?"

"The Fighting Irish." Bonnie decided she would stay true to her bracket selection.

"Then I'll take the other one."

"The Shockers it is," Bonnie jotted their picks down scrap paper. "What are we wagering this time?"

"Sexy massages?" Damon grinned hopefully.

"I have a boyfriend, remember."

"I thought you broke with Little Gilbert."

"We didn't break up – break up. I just need a little time by myself – you know."

"What I know is that it sounds to me like you dumped him."

"How does $20 sound?" Bonnie asked getting back to their wager. Her relationship problems were really none of Damon's business.

"Keep your money, Bennett." Damon opened his wallet and placed a condom on the table.

"We're not having sex."

"Then sexy massage it is," Damon's hands rubbed together. "I like the coconut oils. Be sure to pick some up…"

"I'm not…," Bonnie began but Damon interrupted.

"We should up the stakes," he suggested. "And bet on three games." He pointed to the screen. "Kentucky and West Virginia. I'll take Kentucky."

"No way," Bonnie shook her head. "I'm not betting against Kentucky. They're in the middle of a hot streak."

"How about…," Damon clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he scanned the rest of the games. "This one. I'll take Xavier."

"They're playing Arizona."

"So?"

"I'm starting to think you want to lose."

"On the contrary, Judgy. I always play to win." Damon's eyebrows waggled.

"What about the Louisville game?" Bonnie scrolled to East match ups. "You can take NC State."

"And why would I do that?" Damon's arms folded over his chest.

"They knocked out a one seed."

"That's a good enough reason for me," Damon smiled. "Our three games are picked. Winner gets a sexy massage from the loser."

As many things as there were wrong with that statement, Bonnie chose to address only the most important. "We only picked two games."

"No," Damon patted the top of her head then proceeded to count on his fingers. "I have NC State, Wichita State and UCLA."

"UCLA?" Bonnie shook her head. "Are you serious about that game?

"They're my team," Damon began to perform a victory dance. "Go Braves. Go Braves."

"You do know they're the Bruins – right?"

"I was testing you…"


	2. Chapter 2

We'll get back to the previous wager after the actual games are played. But in the mean time a bit of backstory fluff.

* * *

**~ March 16, 2015 ~ 10am~ The Grille~**

Bonnie sat with her take out cup of coffee. Beside her Matt and Stefan were discussing the tournament results. She would have loved to join into the guys' conversation but Caroline was avidly discussing combinations for a new Origami Owl necklace she was purchasing.

"Here comes, Tyler," Bonnie announced as she saw him approaching the door.

"I'll let him in," Matt said getting up from the table.

Seeing Stefan was now available, Caroline eagerly sought his opinion leaving Bonnie off the hook for a moment.

Life hadn't been that great lately and Bonnie was looking for something to help her break out of this funk. She was hoping that the ever contagious March Madness would at the very least distract her. In the past she played with her father and now that he was gone….

She cleared her mind not wanting to let all the sadness and anger outshine what was supposed to be a fun morning.

"Here they are." Tyler passed out sheets of paper containing the 2015 NCAA bracket. "Twenty bucks gets you in," he explained. "One point on the first round, then three, five and ten. Fifteen a piece on the final four. The championship game is worth twenty five points."

"How many people are playing?" Matt asked.

"At least fifty," Tyler replied. "My entire floor at school plus us. Should be a sweet payday."

"Good," Caroline grinned as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Because I need a new pair of Uggs and I saw this Michael Kors bag…"

"Just because you got lucky last year…," Tyler began.

"Go Syra-Cute!" Matt threw up his hands in spirit fingers.

That brought a smile to Bonnie's face. Everyone had their own methodology for picking teams. And Caroline Forbes had the most unorthodox of anyone Bonnie had ever met.

"Syra-Cute wasn't so cute when they lost to Dayton," Stefan added.

"Yeah," Tyler agreed. "I don't think anyone saw that coming."

"Killed my bracket," Matt added.

"Hey!" Caroline exclaimed. "I don't see the Slushies on here!"

"Who are the Slushies?" Stefan bit his lip as though he almost didn't want to know.

"UConn Huskies," Tyler answered shaking his head at Caroline.

"They didn't make it in this year, Care," Matt replied while making his selections.

"I need everything back by tomorrow at noon," Tyler said as he prepared to leave.

"Tyler," Bonnie caught his attention. "Can I have one for Jeremy?"

"Yeah sure," Tyler slid a second bracket toward the witch. "Noon. Tomorrow. And don't forget the $20," he reminded them.

An hour later, Bonnie was still working on her bracket. She made a point of watching all the tournament games and makes notes on the offense, defense and coaches for each team. She read interviews and checked stats, nearly filling a notebook with her findings on the 68 teams involved.

Matt had started his shift getting the Grille ready to open. Caroline was entertaining Stefan by explain how she selected teams – which he seemed to find highly amusing. All Caroline's giggling and flirting was starting to wear on Bonnie.

"I'm gonna finish this at home," she told them excusing herself. Bonnie waved a brief goodbye to Matt as she made her way outside.

The first thing she saw was Damon Salvatore crossing the street.

While Damon wasn't exactly a thorn in her side anymore, she wanted to be alone and so she continued walking keeping her head down. But Damon saw her.

"Bennett!"

She pretended she didn't hear him.

"BENNETT!"

With hands cupped around his mouth he shouted her name so loud she was sure the state of Maine heard him.

With a quick wave his way, she kept going even picking up the pace a little. But vampires are fast – at least when they want to be – and so when he caught up to her, she wasn't entirely surprised.

"Soooooo," he slung an arm around her shoulder. "Whatcha doing today?"

"Why?" Ever suspicious of Damon's motives – funny how he always needed a favor of the magical variety – the question was well deserved.

"I'm bored."

"So you thought you'd bother me. Thanks." Bonnie removed his arm and turned at the corner.

"What's this?" Damon reached into her bag and removed her notebook before she could stop him.

"Those are my notes," Bonnie tried to take her book back, but Damon turned his back evasively.

"Ooohh. Who is Aaron Harrison?" Damon asked as Bonnie grabbed his arm attempting to get a hand on her book.

"He's…," Bonnie barely started the sentence when Damon continued.

"You ranked him higher than Andrew Harrison."

"They're twins."

"Kinky."

"Not like that," Bonnie knocked the book from Damon's hands.

As they wrestled to the ground Bonnie finally got her hands back on the book. Clutching it against her chest she curled into a fetal position as Damon continued to poke at various areas of her body while covering her like a blanket.

"Am I in your little black book, Bennett?" he whispered in her ear.

Enough was enough and with a wisp of magic, she sent him flying backward into a tall oak tree.

"I am in there. Aren't I?"

"Not even close."

Bonnie got back to her feet and began walking again.

"Who are the Harrison twins?" Damon asked as he bumped his hip against hers. It made Bonnie miss a step and nearly trip. "Come on Bon-Bon," his sky blue eyes caught hers, making her almost want to smile. "Are they porn stars?"

"Ugh!" Bonnie smacked him. Why did he have to talk?

"You naughty girl," Damon's saucy expression conveyed complete support of such a pastime.

"They're basketball players, Damon."

"Basketball porn. Hmmmm. Don't think I've ever seen that…and I've seen a lot…there was this one where…"

"It's March Madness!" Bonnie yelled at him, wanting to stop this conversation before it took an uncomfortable turn. "I researched all the teams that made it into the NCAA Tournament."

"Seriously?" Damon's face twisted as though the possibility of a non-sexual hobby was completely foreign. "Let me see that." He held his hand out and Bonnie reluctantly offered up her book.

For the next several minutes, Damon was very quiet. All Bonnie heard were pages turning. That was okay though, it gave her time to think about the bracket and some of the tougher games.

"You're really into this basketball stuff aren't you?" Damon said.

"It's something my dad and I used to do together but now that he's gone, I …," Bonnie found herself choking up a little. "I'm trying to keep his memory alive."

As she wiped the tears from her eyes – crying in front of Damon was something he'd probably hold against her for the rest of her life – she wasn't exactly surprised when he hugged her. It was a conditioned response. He was simply doing what you were supposed to do when the topic of death happened to breach the air. There's crying then hugging then inevitable sympathetic offers of help.

It was an all too familiar scenario in Mystic Falls.

Despite all the cliché motions, Bonnie allowed herself to rest her cheek against his chest and take in the comfort of a friend. She didn't allow herself to linger there. Hastily thanking Damon while at the same time pushing him away.

Palms to her eyes, she cleared away the remaining evidence of the momentary lapse in her strong constitution.

"If you're looking for someone to do this bracket thing with you, count me in."

Bonnie looked at the midnight haired vampire. His hands were deep in his pockets and his face was solemn. He was being sincere.

A rare occurrence for Damon Salvatore.

"Do you even know anything about basketball?"

He repeated her statement, adding a cocky snort at the end as he proceeded to dribble an invisible basketball. He dodged left and right then switched hands. Faked a pass then spun and threw up a shot using nearly perfect form.

"Salvatore for three!" Damon's hands remained above his head as he announced his accomplishment with pride to the neighborhood.

It made Bonnie smile.

**~ March 16, 2015 ~ 8pm~ The Grille~**

It took Bonnie almost the entire day to complete her bracket. It took Damon about 8 minutes. Half that time was spent looking for a pen. But for someone who made quick decisions, he certainly had a big mouth.

There were four preliminary games. Schools who needed to win one more game before joining the starting field of 64 collegiate teams in the Tournament.

Damon hastily circled names and moved on through the bracket. Bonnie watched as he barely paused to think before scrawling his picks on the lines.

"Done," he announced slapping his pen on the table as though the contest was to see who could finish their bracket first.

"It's not a race," Bonnie explained. "You should double check that."

"Look," Damon leaned across the table. "Stefan told me that Caroline won last year so this is obviously not a knowledge based endeavor."

"I guess luck does play a part," Bonnie conceded. "But you still have to know a little about the competitive field…"

"She calls them the Syra-Cute Orangemen."

Bonnie pressed her lips together. She wasn't about to mock Caroline for her annual massacre of college team names and mascots but she wasn't about to agree with Damon either. "There is skill involved in picking your bracket."

"It's all LUCK. And this year Lady Luck is on my side. So unless you're copying this winning bracket." He held up his paper and waved it in front of her. "You may as well just give me your 20 buck now."

Bonnie laughed heartily. "Those are fighting words, Salvatore."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Bennett." Damon folded his hands together and furrowed his brow.

**~ March 17, 2015 ~ 10am~ The Grille~**

Bonnie turned the pair of brackets in to Tyler. He read the names on the top and looked back at her. "Damon? I thought Jeremy was going to play."

"I figured we'd keep it local," Bonnie said forcing herself to smile. Last night she did call Jeremy with the intent of getting his picks but the conversation took a wrong turn. Now she was starting to doubt whether or not their relationship was going to make past the next couple weeks.

"That's forty," he told her.

"Here's my twenty." She fished out the green bill from her pocket. "Damon said he would catch up with you before he left with Ric. I guess he didn't."

"Nope." Tyler shook his head and handed Damon's bracket back to her. "Tell Damon - No cash. No play."

"Umm." Bonnie stared down at the paper. Damon and Ric were celebrating St. Patrick's Day at some Irish pub. She highly doubted that he was sober enough to care about his bracket right now. Digging into her pocket, she removed a second bill to pay Tyler.

"Bonnie," Tyler's eyes dropped to her hand. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yeah," Bonnie nodded. She was sure Damon would pay her back.

Only she didn't realize she it wouldn't be in money.


	3. Chapter 3

In response to my Ba-mazing reviewers:

GUEST: I'm getting the Bamon feels back (YAY!) Updating My Diabolical Master Plan is a definite possibility but there is no timeline for that - yet.

Swurve: Since Elena was pushed off a cliff, sorry, _fell_ off the cliff - Yes, this is an AU-ish season 6 universe where the only Gilbert standing in the way of Bamon is Jeremy.

babyshan11 - Thank you for reviewing! I've missed you and this fandom. Hoping to be back with more Bamon stories very soon.

Jenny(Guest) - Thank you for taking the time to read and review.

And thank you to everyone who alerted this story!  
-Gemma

* * *

**~ March 19, 2015 ~ 1pm ~ The Grille~**

Bonnie sat at a table full of appetizers and pitchers of soda. Matt was on her left taking a rare break from his seven day work week. Stefan and Caroline sat across from her. Damon was sitting at the bar flanked by Enzo and Ric.

The lunch rush crowded the small bar restaurant and Bonnie was thankful that they'd arrived early enough to get their choice of tables. This one had a perfect view of all the television screens. It was the first real round of the tournament. Thirty-two games would be played over the next 48 hours eliminating an equal number of teams.

From the new line up of 32 teams another 16 would fall during the round taking place this weekend. By Monday morning only the Sweet Sixteen would remain.

Bonnie had a copy of her bracket safely tucked in the zippered compartment of her bag. The preliminary round had gone well. She picked 3 of 4 games, which wasn't bad. The irony though, was that both Caroline and Damon went 4 for 4.

That was fine though. The early victories were only worth 1 point. This round was worth three each. It would separate the men from the boys.

And the witches from the vampires.

Bonnie stayed with her friends watching as Caroline poured herself all over Stefan. Apparently Caroline didn't recall Stefan's statement in Season 1 (the episode where they're all hanging out at the Mystic Falls having a big party and Caroline corners him on the bridge) when he said "Caroline, me and you – not gonna happen."

She really wished he would have stuck to that statement. Bonnie liked Caroline and she liked Stefan individually and together but only as friends.

Horrible as it was, "Steroline" in couple form could be equated with a big pile of "desperate attempt at a storyline." But there were bigger problems then that going on in Bonnie's life.

Baylor knocked out the favored Georgia State

And worse than that….

Iowa State (who many had picked to make it into the final four) suffered a scathing loss to UAB.

"What the hell just happened?" Matt stared at the final score with his jaw to the floor.

"Better question," Caroline's eyes zeroed in on the screen. "Who is UAB?"

"University of Alabama at Birmingham," Stefan replied.

"Well, they just fucked my bracket!" Matt scowled.

"Mine too," Stefan agreed.

"Damn it!" Matt flounced back in his seat. "This shit happens to me every fucking year."

"Oooh!" Caroline chirped happily. "I tots forgot that I picked them. U-A-B-otches. U-A-B-otches," she chanted until an onion ring soared through the air hitting her in the back of the head. "Who threw that?" she demanded turning around in her chair.

Across the bar, Damon, Enzo and Ric were huddled together fighting hysterics obviously incriminating themselves.

"Stefan, my best friend in the entire world," Caroline took her fellow vampire by the hand. "Could you please let your brother know that I am going to rip each and every one of his fingers off if he ever throws anything at me again."

With his free hand, Stefan rubbed his face tiredly. "I suppose I could mention it."

"Or you could text him," Caroline set Stefan's phone on the table in front of him. "Right now."

"As much as I would love to stay and watch my bracket get blown up more," Matt grabbed his hoodie. "I'm outta here."

"Me too," Bonnie stood up, slipping her jacket off the chair.

"Need a ride?" Matt asked.

"No thanks," Bonnie replied. "I'm going to walk."

"You really shouldn't be walking home alone this late," Matt's worry lines pooled on his forehead.

"I have my magic back. I think I can handle it," Bonnie patted his shoulder.

"Are you sure?"

"Matt, you can stop worrying about me."

He nodded waving goodnight to everyone as he made his way to the door. Bonnie said her goodbyes as well. As she started to walk home, familiar footsteps came up behind her.

"I'm surprised you can still walk," Bonnie said as Damon closed the distance between them.

"Never underestimate a Salvatore," he slurred.

"Nice," Bonnie folded her arms over her chest. "By the way, your shoelaces are untied."

"They are?" Damon looked down at his feet, only to start laughing. "I'm wearing boots," his speech slurred again. "Good one, Bennett." A drunken fist lightly made contact with her shoulder. "Me and Ric were talking about this whole NCAA tournament gambling racket. And I'm thinking we should make this a little more…_fun._"

**~ March 26, 2015 ~ 6:45pm ~ The Grille~**

Bonnie waited outside the Grille for Stefan and Caroline. The first of the Sweet Sixteen games started in 30 minutes. Glancing down at her phone to the incoming text from Caroline, Bonnie read that she and Stefan were "running late".

"Naturally," Bonnie groaned. She looked through the large glass window to see that it was getting crowded. As she went into the foyer, fingers hastily typing back a reply, she got her name on the waiting list for a table.

Pacing in the lobby area with a sick feeling that she was going to be stood up tonight, Bonnie scanned through the open seating area for familiar faces.

What she saw was Damon, sitting alone at the bar – with an empty seat next to him.

"Hey," Bonnie greeted the vampire sliding onto the vacant stool. "Do you have my $20?"

"Nope," Damon replied drink in hand.

"It's been over a week," Bonnie complained. "When do you plan on paying me back?"

"Here's a quarter," he reached over and slid the coin out from under a pile of cash left on the bar from another patron.

"That's not even your money," Bonnie pushed the quarter back across the bar. Her phone buzzed with another text from Caroline.

_Going to miss the Farting Irish game sorry. Might make it for Phlem-tucky game._

As she read it she shook her head. Not only was Caroline ditching her for a guy (again) but she spelled phlegm incorrectly.

It wasn't exactly a bright side to the situation but at least Damon was here so she wasn't embarrassingly solo tonight.

"Uh-Oh," Damon smiled at Bonnie as he looked at his phone. "Looks like Stefan and Caroline are finally doing the dirty."

"They texted you?" She blurted – wondering why they would feel the need to share that with Damon.

Damon showed her the message from Stefan.

_Where are the AA batteries?_

"O-kay." Bonnie, somewhat confused, looked back at Damon. "Is that some kind of code for don't come home?"

Damon texted his brother back, answering Bonnie's question with, "All the vibrators in the house take AA batteries."

Bonnie wasn't naive when it came to sex but – was that really something she needed to know about the Salvatore brothers? While several questions wandered through her mind:

_How many vibrators do you need?_

_Why do two brothers have multiple vibrators?_

_Do they each have a favorite?_

She took the high road by adding, "Maybe they're watching the game. TV remotes use AA batteries too."

"In the right position you can do both," Damon winked at her.

Blushing, Bonnie waved her hand to get Matt's attention. "Can I get a Coke?"

"Refill for me," Damon held up his glass.

Matt nodded and began filling their order.

"Make sure you tip." Damon elbowed Bonnie as their blonde friend served up the drinks.

"You should be buying," Bonnie informed him as she handed over her debit card. Remembering the bet they made earlier today, she felt inclined to throw some shade Damon's way. Taking a pack of Kleenex out of her bag she placed it on the bar next to his drink. "I have more if this isn't enough."

Damon glanced down at the tissues and laughed. "You better save these to clean up after the rub &amp; tug you're giving me."

As Bonnie's jaw dropped to the floor, clearly Damon's definition of "sexy massage" deviated just a little from the standard, she realized that Matt was standing there and heard every word.

"It's not…I'm not," Bonnie stuttered in reply but Matt had already given her a look and was walking down the bar to wait on other customers.

"Game's starting," Damon swiveled on his stool to get a better view of the Notre Dame game against Wichita State.

Bonnie was thankful to have something to do other that diffuse Damon's sexual-based commentary. Settling in to watch the game, which really wasn't much a game. Notre Dame basically dominated from the start.

"Wait a minute," Damon leaned over her shoulder, in attempt to get closer to the screen. "Do their jerseys say, "Shockers"?"

"Yeah," Bonnie looked back at him. Didn't they have this conversation earlier today? "They're the Wichita State Shockers."

"Do you think they know what a shocker is?" Damon snorted.

"I'm sure they do," Bonnie replied.

"Do _you_ know what a shocker is?" his voice carried all sorts of inflection that sent a faint shiver down Bonnie's spine. She had to remind herself that 'technically' she still had a boyfriend.

"It's someone who harvests wheat," she told him.

"Noooooo," Damon's reply whistled in her ear and Bonnie, not able to concentrate, leaned forward to get her drink. When she looked back at Damon, his hand was folded in some sort of sign language gesture. Palm flat with the ring finger bent down and being held by the thumb. "_This_ is a shocker."

"Alright?" Bonnie didn't see what the big deal was.

Damon moved closer until their sides touched. "These two fingers," he wiggled his index and middle finger, "Go into your…_ tunnel of love."_

Bonnie choked on her drink.

"And this one goes in your…,"

"I get IT!" Bonnie had to cover her eyes. Only Damon could turn something as innocent as wheat harvesting into a sexual reference.

"Have you ever done it?"

"I'm not answering that." Bonnie slid down from the stool.

"Just wanted to know if Little Gilbert ….,"

"I need to use the bathroom." Bonnie interrupted before Damon could finish his sentence.

**~ March 26, 2015 ~ 9:30pm ~ The Grille~**

Bonnie had never been so thankful to see Caroline and Stefan than she was at that very moment. Damon's insistence on the "shocker" wager – should Wichita State somehow manage to come back from their standing deficit of around 10 points the entire time – had Bonnie beside herself. There was no way Damon's hands were getting anywhere near her "love tunnel".

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Caroline apologized as she wrapped her arms around Bonnie.

"Its fine," Bonnie hugged her back. "You're here now."

With standing room only at the bar and Bonnie giving up her opportunity for a table hours ago, she wasn't surprised when Stefan and Caroline decided to "share a stool"- her stool of course – leaving only one place for Bonnie to sit.

"Bring that ass over here." Damon's hand patted his left thigh.

"I'll stand," Bonnie squeezed up against the bar in the very small space between the two stools. Amused as Caroline whipped her head back and forth, causing Stefan to continually be smacked in the face by her hair. After about five minutes, Stefan was standing too.

Notre Dame won their game. Bonnie now had a 1-0 lead over Damon in their three game wager.

As Kentucky, er Phlegm-tucky, took the floor against West Virginia, Bonnie felt Damon moving behind her. Glancing back over her shoulder she saw that he'd gotten up (giving Stefan a dirty look) and was offering his seat to her.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked – quite frankly she'd rather have her $20 back than a seat – but as Damon nodded, she smiled at Stefan for his role in this bit of forced chivalry.

The Kentucky game was an absolute blow out. Dunks and three's dominated the game. West Virginia really didn't have a chance.

The second set of games weren't finished yet but Damon was hammered and starting to get a little loud. Matt signaled to Stefan that it was time to take him home.

Since it was just the girls, Caroline eagerly spilled to Bonnie how well things were going with Stefan. They were late because Stefan had been making some 'herbal' brownies and the bake time didn't exactly correspond to tip off of the Farting Irish game.

Caroline did confirm that the batteries were for a TV remote and not for a vibrator. Although when Bonnie shared the details of the potential of a massive inventory at the Salvatore Boarding House, Caroline was intrigued.

The two friends plotted on how to snoop through the house to uncover the locations of said devices.

Whoever found the most got some serious bragging rights.

**~ March 27, 2015 ~ 11:15 am ~ Bonnie's House ~**

Bonnie was in the kitchen fighting to open a new case of bottled water. The stupid plastic was always so damn strong and it was almost impossible to simply rip it open.

But everything is easier with magic.

Getting ready for her daily jog, she laced up her sneakers and strapped her iPod to her arm. Water bottle in hand, she was about to open the door when there was a loud knock.

Since she was standing right there, the door opened almost instantly revealing a startled Matt Donovan.

"Matt!" Bonnie's eyes widened. "HI."

"Hey," Matt shoved his hands in his pockets. "You look like you're busy."

"Not really. I was going to go for a run but that can wait," Bonnie shrugged. "Come in." Opening the door wider she stepped back letting him in before shutting it again. "Want something to drink?" she asked. "I just opened a new case of water."

"Naw, I'm good," Matt shifted his weight from side to side. "I was on my way to work and I thought I'd stop by to talk to you."

"Sure." Bonnie led the way into the living room. "What's going on?"

Matt didn't sit down. In fact he looked very uncomfortable. His mouth was puckered like he just licked a lemon. His forehead had more wrinkles than a shirt left overnight in the dryer. And if he rocked on his feet one more time, she might actually get motion sick.

"Look Bonnie, I know it's none of my business but Jeremy is one of my best friends."

At that opening line, Bonnie slumped against the door frame. Things with Jeremy had been rocky for a long while. First it was the cheating incident with Anna. Then the fact that every time she died – he was balls in deep in anything that moved within a few days. By now he should understand that even when she was dead, she wasn't _dead._

There was more to it than that though, problems that had nothing to do with the supernatural. They were getting older and moving in different directions. As much as Bonnie hated to admit it – she'd outgrown Jeremy Gilbert a long time ago.

She'd been holding on to him because – there was nothing else to hold on to.

It was only now that she realized she didn't need a life preserver. She could swim on her own.

As Matt stood in front of her, accusing her of 'emotionally' cheating on Jeremy with Damon, the witch decided that the time had finally come to stop procrastinating on the inevitable. She had to end her relationship with Jeremy. She felt terrible that it had to come to this because Jeremy was a good guy – a _great _guy. He was smart and funny and insanely hot and a big part of her was probably going to regret doing this but…

She had to.

She wasn't happy.

He wasn't happy.

And they both deserved happiness. They both deserved better than this.

After Matt left, instead of going for a run, she picked up her phone and sent a text to Jeremy asking for a Facetime chat.

It was only fitting that as she opened her bag to grab her keys, the pack of tissues was sitting right there waiting for her.

Bonnie knew she was going to need them.


	4. Chapter 4

**One chapter to go which will be posted sometime after the championship game Monday night. **

* * *

**~ March 27, 2015 ~ 1:26 pm ~ Bonnie's House~**

Surrounded by a sea of crumpled white tissues, Bonnie mourned her broken relationship with Jeremy Gilbert. Talking to him hadn't been easy. Watching his heart break right in front of her was like a knife in her soul.

But at least now it was done.

They could both heal.

Become the people they were meant to be.

Trashcan in hand, Bonnie cleaned up her mess. She was almost done when there was another knock at the door. Two visitors in one day was a rare thing indeed. She suspected it might be the neighbors delivering her order. She'd fallen victim to the Thirty One bag fundraiser for the local youth softball team (how could she not - some of those patterns were super cute).

Her guess was not correct and she was a more than a little surprised to find Stefan standing on her doorstep. Then when she noticed Caroline wasn't anywhere in sight, she really wasn't sure what to think.

"May I?" Stefan asked as he lingered in the afternoon sun waiting to be invited inside.

"No offense," Bonnie said trying to stay light hearted as she joined him in the fresh air. "But this is a vampire-free environment."

"I'm sorry. I didn't see a sign posted," Stefan pretended to look around the property for such a notice. Bonnie folded her arms and sat back against the railing as Stefan's hands went deep into his pockets.

"I was driving by and," he paused casing Bonnie's face with his hazel eyes. "I heard you crying."

"Oh." Stefan's empathic radar detector was at it again.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine." Bonnie Bennett was a survivor.

"Anything I can do?"

"This was enough. Thank you for checking in on me."

"If you want to talk."

"I have your number," Bonnie smiled and nodded as she returned to the safe confines of her house. "I'll give you a call."

"Make sure you do," Stefan offered as he backed down the steps.

**~ March 27, 2015 ~ 2:06 pm ~ Bonnie's House~**

Bonnie sat on the couch with her ear buds blasting the sounds of fast, hypnotic beats. She wasn't in the mood for slow and sad or music with a message. Right now she wanted to clear her head and stop thinking about Jeremy's forlorn expression as she disconnected their Face time session. Caught up in a song with a crippling rhythm and vulgar lyrics, she didn't hear her phone ring. She felt it.

Looking down onto the display there was a message from Damon:

_Heard you were sad  
Hope that UR not  
Come over here  
For a Jello shot  
PS – You bring the whip and I'll provide the cream_

While that text brought a brief half-smile to her lips, Bonnie didn't reply. Right now all she wanted was to be alone but fate undermined that plan. Her phone blew up with texts from Caroline and Matt and even Tyler Lockwood.

Word traveled fast in a small town.

Then Stefan was waiting out front – at least that's what his text said. Apparently Damon had recruited his younger brother to chauffer Bonnie over to the Boarding House. She didn't want to go but Stefan's incessant honking of the horn of his car made him impossible to ignore. Yelling out her window for him to stop, while wondering what the neighbors must think, Bonnie cast a quick spell disabling the horn and restoring quiet to her block.

Stefan refused to quit. Revving the engine of his car until it blew puffs of smoke through the tailpipe, he called out loudly, "Let's go, Bonnie!"

Realizing that if she made the car break down too, Stefan would only stick around longer she had no choice except to go out to the street and ask him to leave.

As she waited for him to roll down the passenger window she saw a grocery bag filled with chips and dips. "Still have the munchies?" she smirked at Stefan, who chuckled in reply.

"We're hosting a small informal gathering to – in the words of my brother," Stefan clarified as he removed his phone and read from the screen. "Celebrate the delusional life that Bonnie Bennett leads thinking she can win a bet against me. UCLA over the Zags by 10."

"Is that so?" Bonnie's hands set on her hips. Damon was an idiot if he thought either of his teams had a chance of winning tonight.

"I have it in writing," Stefan produced the texts from Damon which included trash talk and a list of party supplies.

"Tell Damon he better add lubricant to this list," Bonnie told Stefan. "Gonzaga is going to bend the Bruins over and…"

As Stefan's eyebrows raised in amused anticipation Bonnie stopped herself before she finished her sentence.

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" Stefan suggested.

With a wave of her hand she closed and locked the door to the house. Sliding in the passenger seat, Bonnie was on her way to personally witness the destruction of Damon Salvatore.

**~ March 27, 2015 ~ 7:07 pm ~ Salvatore Boarding House~**

Bonnie Bennett was officially drunk.

She spent the last four hours depleting the Salvatore's supply of Jell-O shots and all the liquor had finally managed to overpower the sober spell she had cast on herself. Now the volume of her voice was cranked all the way up as she traded smack talk with Damon, who had been drinking much longer and was at a comparable stage of alcohol impairment.

The first game started in less than ten minutes and Bonnie was ready. Armed with the last half dozen shots she took a seat on the couch next to Damon.

"In the words of Flo Rida – Gdfr," Bonnie informed him.

"Gdfr?" Damon snorted. "Your acronym reference is of no concern to me, Bennett. The only thing Flo Rida has to his credit is that he's actually from the state of FloRida."

"Mock us all you want." Bonnie shook the can of whipped cream. "But you're **g**oing **d**own **f**or **r**eal." With that she pressed the tip down, meaning to top off her Jell-O shot for some reason nothing was coming out except the hiss of compressed air. Bonnie knew she had her fair share of shots but did she finish the entire can?

Shaking the can a few times more, she glanced up at the flat screen television. Tip off was only moments away and she couldn't wait to see the look on Damon's face when the Zags drew first blood. It was as his attention turned to the game that she deliberately shot a stream of whipped cream at his head.

He barely reacted, save his hand slowly raising to confirm that – yes- his hair was coated with a light and fluffy topping.

Bonnie couldn't help laughing hysterically. Pressing the tip down for a second shot, she wasn't prepared for the vampire to knock her off the couch and pin her down on the floor – with the can aimed at her face.

Bonnie squealed as she tried to wriggle free but Damon was physically stronger. It wasn't until she heard the sports caster announce the first basket had been scored that she stopped struggling and twisted her head in the direction of the game.

In an unspoken truce, the pair each took a side of the couch and cheered for their respective team.

When the second game began, Damon had his laptop ready so they could watch both games simultaneously. But it wasn't long before Bonnie knew she had this.

UCLA fell to Gonzaga 62 to 74

And Louisville managed a win over NC State in revenge for a defeat earlier in the season.

Bonnie Bennett called the winners of all three games. And while she wanted to gloat over her victory, Damon wasn't sticking around.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked as Damon slid his leather jacket over his shoulders.

"Have plans," Damon answered vaguely. "You can stay. And let me know when you want that massage," he winked as he slipped out the door.

"The massage," Bonnie repeated. She'd been so caught up in winning that she'd almost forgotten what they'd wagered. Yes, she would like a nice massage. And Damon would be getting her a gift card to the local spa. Or maybe he would just compel someone there to give her a free massage. Either way – Damon wasn't getting his hands on her body.

Bonnie wasn't alone for long, Stefan returned with Caroline by his side.

The next gave was Utah against the number one seeded Duke Blue Devils. Not a fan of PUKE, Caroline had nothing nice to say about anything Okafor, Jones or Winslow – the freshman core. Bonnie laughed as Stefan tried to reason with Caroline. But his report on Utah's lacking offensive strategy fell on deaf ears as Caroline insisted, "PUKE is overrated. They choke. Every year."

Bonnie didn't even remember seeing the end of the game.

**~ March 28, 2015 ~ 8:04am ~ Salvatore Boarding House~**

"Someone's been sleeping in my bed. And it's not Goldielocks."

Bonnie heard his voice and cracked an eye half open, horrified to realize that she had committed the crime of passing out in the bed of Damon Salvatore.

"Sorry," she mumbled, hoping that an apology would suffice and this wouldn't be something he would mention ever again. Fumbling to untangle herself from the covers (not remembering why she would have wrapped herself up like a mummy) the witch felt something fall out of the sheets and against her leg.

Reaching down to see what it was, she gripped the object in her hand and pulled it out in plain sight.

Dropping it onto the bed immediately and she wiped her hand in the sheets. As she did she saw several of those same objects scattered across the bed.

"Did you find one you liked?" Damon chuckled.

There wasn't a reply that could explain why she was surrounded by a half a dozen vibrators.

To make matters worse, she noticed a black sharpie marker in his hand. While eyeing it with suspicion, he laughed even harder.

"What?" Bonnie growled, fighting the paranoia in her gut.

"Oh nothing," Damon gracefully slipped out of the room.

Forcing herself to get out of bed, Bonnie went into the bathroom. The first thing she noticed was her reflection in the mirror.

"DAMON!" she screamed.

The vampire had written, "WINNER" on her forehead in permanent marker.

**~ March 28, 2015 ~ 8pm ~ Salvatore Boarding House~**

Finally recovered from a night of March Madness, Bonnie had to resort to a spell to get the writing off her skin. As she sat with Caroline splitting a veggies and hummus dip appetizer, her friend filled in the details from the previous night. According to Caroline, Bonnie had "cheated" in their game of "find the vibrator" because she used magic.

Bonnie had trouble believing that a locator spell could be used for vibrators but Caroline insisted that's what happened and demanded a rematch. Stefan simply laughed at the whole idea of an Easter egg hunt with vibrators. But Caroline hated to lose at anything and Bonnie was sure that they would play again someday in a grudge match. Oh, wouldn't that be fun.

However, tonight was about college basketball. Two more games were on tonight, deciding the first two national champions and the first two teams to make it to the Final Four.

Bonnie was in second place behind Caroline, so with copies of their brackets in hand, the two girls good-naturedly made their traditional shot wager. Where one point is equal to one shot, the loser had to drink the difference in the final score.

The first game was Arizona against Wisconsin. Bonnie sided with the Wildcats, while Caroline cheered on the Badgers.

The final score was a seven point win by the Badgers. Being a good sport, Bonnie let Caroline feed her the first of seven shots. Even so, she wasn't happy that Caroline was still leading the bracket pool.

The next game was Notre Dame against Kentucky. Bonnie had selected the Wildcats once again, as both Kentucky and Arizona had the same mascot. Caroline chose the Farting Irish in the hopes they would bring Kentucky's undefeated season to an end.

This game was much closer. Stefan was drawn into the crossfire as Caroline threw a fit every time Kentucky took the lead. While he tried to stay unbiased, he sided with Bonnie – that he didn't think Kentucky was going down in this round.

With a final score of 66 to 68, the UK Wildcats expanded their record to 39-0

Caroline dutifully took down a pair of shots.

Oddly enough, through the night Bonnie missed having Damon around. Maybe it was because she knew she wanted a little revenge herself. Or maybe because he made her laugh in that weird way that only someone as outrageous as Damon could.

No. It was definitely for revenge.

**~ March 29, 2015 ~ 2pm ~ Bonnie's House~**

Fresh off a break up (even though she was the one who chose to end things) Bonnie could only take so much of Stefan and Caroline and their budding romance. It wasn't that she missed Jeremy specifically. More like she missed feeling that giddy around someone. Those first moments when you realize your crush isn't a one way street.

Needing a little space Bonnie went home to watch the last two games alone. With no bets in place and no one rooting against her, she enjoyed the games to the fullest.

The overtime win by Michigan State and another win for Duke put Bonnie as the leader in the bracket pool. For the first time in the history of playing Tyler's pool she had a chance to win. If only her dad was here.

Instead of allowing herself to feel the sadness she took out her phone and sent a text to Damon. Within the hour they were sitting on her front step listening to a playlist Damon had put together called, 90's Block Party.

While most of the music Bonnie had never heard before, Damon knew all the songs by heart. She wasn't sure if her neighbors appreciated the unsolicited serenade but she would be lying if she tried to say that she didn't.

Damon sat on the step seemingly without a care in the world as he sang out the lyrics. Bouncing up and down while bobbing his head, Bonnie couldn't help smiling as she watched him. There had always been a little something between them. One could argue it was a supernatural connection; a witch / vampire thing. Only today, it wasn't the magical side of Bonnie that was engaged in this moment with Damon. It was the human side.

As Bonnie felt Damon's hand against her shoulder, she trembled slightly at the electricity in that simple touch.

"I can pencil you in on Thursday," he cooed, adding her name into his phone.

"Thursday?" Bonnie could barely focus on anything but the place he was touching her.

"Your _sexy_ massage."

"Oh, that." Bonnie tried her best to sound bored but her heart was beating faster.

And to be honest, the feeling was a little alarming.


	5. Chapter 5

**The breaking news this morning was that Nina Dobrev has officially announced that she is leaving TVD. Admittedly I felt a moment of guilt because made the comment in the first chapter about Elena falling off a cliff but I think her relationship with Ian has much more to do with her decision than the Delena/Bamon shipper war. **

**That being said, I will miss her and Jeremy and Tyler and Sheriff Forbes (who apparently have also left the show) and wish them all the best in their careers.**

**Now I'd like to speculate that ****(hopefully)**** Thomas McDonnell (aka Finn from CW's the 100) will somehow end up on the show! Personally I think he'd make a decent werewolf (not that anyone can really replace Michael Trevino).**

**A giant thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorite this story. Especially: babyshan211, Swurve, Tarafina, starinthem, zsaclar and mindy2287. **

**Here is the final chapter.**

* * *

**~ April 2, 2015 ~ 10:30am ~ Bonnie's House~**

Bonnie answered the door to find Damon standing there, bursting with excitement. Then she remembered it was Thursday aka Sexy Massage Day.

"You're a little early," she looked at him tiredly. They weren't supposed to meet until later in the afternoon. She had been hoping to come up with an excuse before then.

"Change of plans," he told her smiling broadly. "But we have to go now before it's sold out."

"Before what is sold out?" Unless it was Coach Bag Bingo, Bonnie wasn't about to hurry for anything.

"Trust me," Damon's eyes glimmered. "You do not want to miss this."

Bonnie looked at the vampire standing at her doorstep. Amped up to the point where he was visibly shaking, like a little kid on Christmas morning, Bonnie had to admit she was slightly curious to know where they were going.

"Let me get my keys," Bonnie sighed as she stepped back into the house.

From the threshold Damon chanted, "Come on. Come on. Come on."

"You know that doesn't make me move any faster," Bonnie retorted as she took a second to check her hair in the hall mirror. At the sound of Damon's frantic pacing she smiled to herself. If she knew torturing him was this easy she would have started doing it a long time ago.

"Geez, Bennett," he snorted impatiently. "It's not like we're going out on the red carpet. Hurry up!"

"Alright, I'm coming." Bonnie jammed her keys into her pocket and shut the front door.

"Thank you!" Damon exclaimed as he leaped to his car, bouncing excitedly into the driver's seat. He blasted music and fired up the engine. As Bonnie opened the door herself, she found it ironic that someone born and raised in the 1800's wouldn't think twice about letting chivalry die.

As they hit the street, Bonnie noticed that Damon had a new playlist cued up. This one was "Punk" and they cruised to their destination to the music of Blink 182.

"The Grille?" Bonnie looked at him in astonishment. Of all the places they could have going, this would have been her last guess. But the parking lot was filling quickly and there were quite a few people waiting outside. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Brunch with the Bunny," Damon replied with a smirk.

"As in the Easter Bunny?" Which as she said it aloud made sense to Bonnie as Easter was only a few days away. She'd been too preoccupied with basketball to realize it.

"Hell yeah," the vampire's hands rubbed together. "Let's get in line. I want to make sure we get a good seat."

"Okay?" Bonnie agreed. She debated on whether or not to comment on Damon's infatuation with an imaginary character. In the end she decided to hold off as she was probably better off not knowing the details.

**~ April 2, 2015 ~ 11:30am ~ The Grille~**

Bonnie sat with Damon waiting for the food to arrive. He'd compelled the hostess to seat them right in the center of the action. They were only a few tables away from a giant chair decorated with pastel balloons. From Damon's seat he had a perfect view but Bonnie had to turn completely around to see where the Easter Bunny was going to sit. But that didn't matter because she could see the television from her spot.

Currently it was the local news which would be followed by interviews with the coaches and players of the Final Four basketball teams. Bonnie couldn't wait to see what they had to say – even if she had to read it in closed caption because the sound was muted.

Matt brought out their plates, giving them an odd look. He stood at the table, uncertainly for a few seconds before finally asking, "Are you guys on a date?"

Bonnie nearly choked on her drink.

"We're just here to see the Easter Bunny," Damon answered shooing Matt away. As Donovan made his way back toward the kitchen, Bonnie caught him looking at her with disapproval.

There was a part of her that wanted to run over and explain to him that she and Damon were not dating. To tell him that he better not say anything to Jeremy because there was nothing going on with Damon. But another part of her didn't care if Jeremy found out about this.

That relationship was over and Bonnie Bennett was ready to move on with her life. Jeremy needed to do the same.

"My pancakes are so much better," Damon boasted after tasting a teensy bite. "These aren't fluffy enough." Then he looked at Bonnie's plate. "Want to trade?"

Bonnie laughed in spite of herself. "If I wanted pancakes I would have ordered them," she told Damon.

"How about half?" he hungrily eyed up her omelet. "Since I'm buying."

"Oh please," Bonnie shook her head. "You compelled the hostess…,"

"Look Bennett," Damon interrupted her. "You're eating for free. Zip it." Thumb and index finger pressed together he pulled an imaginary zipper across his mouth.

"Fine," Bonnie agreed as technically he had a point. "But only if you leave Matt a real tip."

Bonnie took Damon's gargled reply as a yes. With her knife she cut the omelet in half, as Damon stacked his pancakes on one side to make room. As they traded food, Matt walked by them delivering drinks to a neighboring table and a questionable stare their way.

Bonnie ignored it focusing her attention on the panel featuring four of the Kentucky Wildcat starters. As she was trying to read the dialogue, Damon chimed in beside her.

"Where's the fifth guy?"

"What?"

"The fifth starter," Damon clarified.

"I don't know," Bonnie shrugged as she tried to focus on the words.

"Imagine if you're that guy, being left out of the interviews," Damon continued shoveling egg into his mouth. "I bet he's in the locker room crying right now."

"Damon, I'm trying to watch this."

"Are you telling me you can't read and listen at the same time," he teased. "Tsk. Tsk. How did you ever get accepted to Whitmore?"

Bonnie exhaled and gave Damon a shut-the-hell-up-now look, which quieted him for the moment allowing her to focus on the television. Ten seconds later at the commercial break, Bonnie looked down at her plate to find a scrap of her omelet remaining.

"Seriously?" she pushed her plate to the center of the table. "What the hell Damon!"

"Pancakes?" He not-so-generously offered while still chewing the stolen omelet. Bonnie would have declined out of precedent but she was still a little hungry. Pulling his plate closer she moved the pancakes around the plate, smearing a piece through the syrup puddle. As she brought it to her lips she noticed that Damon had finished his drink and was now helping himself to hers.

"You've got to be kidding me," Bonnie reached out with her free hand to take her drink back.

"Mi casa es su casa," Damon said as he blocked her hand. Then turning in his chair his raised his hand to get Matt's attention, "Hey Tom Brady. We need refills. Stat!"

Bonnie buried her head in her hands. She was going to have to pad whatever tip Damon left because she was sure it wouldn't be enough.

**~ April 2, 2015 ~ 12:30pm ~ The Grille~**

"Damon, I really _do not_ want to do this," Bonnie looked uneasily around The Grille. They were the only people over the age of ten in line to get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny.

"Relax Bennett," Damon bumped her with his elbow. "And remember to smile."

"Hi guys," Caroline greeted them warmly. As the Bunny's Assistant she was dressed up in a paisley print handkerchief dress that matched the giant bow the Easter Bunny had tied around his neck and carried a basket of individually wrapped Peeps. "What are you doing here?"

Bonnie answered a quick, "Brunch."

Unfortunately Damon's voice was slightly more commanding as he informed Caroline, "We're here to get our picture taken with the Easter Bunny."

Bonnie mouthed "no" and repeatedly crossed her hands at chest level, hoping Caroline would tell Damon that they couldn't. Instead the blonde answered with, "Give me your phones and I'll take pictures of you two together."

"You don't have to," Bonnie said through clenched teeth. Why did Caroline have to be so thick sometimes?

"I don't mind," Caroline shrugged.

After the last of the little kids got off his lap, the Easter Bunny stood up and waved to the crowd of children remaining.

"Not yet," Caroline took the Bunny by the arm and helped him back into the seat. "There're two more friends to see you." She motioned for Bonnie and Damon to come closer. While Bonnie held back, she was definitely too old for this, Damon had no problem going right to the Bunny and plopping down hard on his lap, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Bonnie covered her mouth in shock as the Bunny let out a low grunt of discomfort.

Standing in front of them Caroline held up Damon's phone. "Everyone say 'bunnies!'" she exclaimed.

Damon smiled a big goofy grin that made Bonnie laugh out loud. This was so absolutely stupid – she shouldn't be laughing. But the sound repeated itself when the Easter Bunny held up its fuzzy white fingers behind Damon's head – giving the vampire his own set of bunny ears.

"Okay," Caroline lowered the phone and waved for Bonnie to get in the picture. Reluctantly, Bonnie made her way to the chair and stood next to the Bunny on the opposite side of Damon.

"What are you doing?" Damon scolded her. "Sit down." He patted the Bunny's other leg.

"I don't think so."

"_Bonnie!"_ Caroline whined. "Just do it. It'll be soooo cute!"

"I'm sorry," Bonnie told the Easter Bunny as she sat as lightly as she could on his leg.

"Ready?" Caroline asked.

"Stop pinching me!" Came a hiss from beneath the huge costume head.

"Be a good sport, Little Brother," Damon replied smiling once again for the camera.

"Stefan?" Bonnie uttered in a mix of shock and amusement as she tried to keep from bursting out in hysterics.

"Hello Bonnie," Came the muffled reply.

She almost couldn't keep a straight face. Why the hell was Stefan Salvatore dressed like the Easter Bunny? Damon was right – Bonnie certainly did not want to miss this.

"Everyone say "Candy!"" Caroline called as she snapped another photo.

This time Bonnie's smile was the real deal.

**~ April 4, 2015 ~ 4:30 pm ~ Bonnie's House~**

Bonnie had just finished getting everything ready when the doorbell rang. Tyler was on the front step with a case of beer and a duffle bag. After spending Christmas completely alone, Bonnie vowed that she would never celebrate any holiday solo – ever again, so she invited Tyler Lockwood. She also invited Matt who, shockingly, was going to visit his mom. As he was the only one with a parent still alive, she certainly couldn't hold that against him, even though it was no secret that they didn't have the best relationship.

Bonnie briefly debated about inviting Caroline, but with the 'no vampire' rule and the fact that Caroline and Tyler in the same room could be the pilot of its own reality show – she decided against it. Not that it mattered. Caroline was spending the weekend with her cousins and left yesterday.

So it was Bonnie and Tyler celebrating Easter together. They dyed eggs and ate candy. They drank beer and prepared to watch The Final Four games. First up was Michigan against Duke.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the game belonged to Duke. Even Tyler agreed, albeit with much disgust, that Puke was headed to the championship game Monday night.

As the game was underway, Tyler proceeded to out drink Bonnie three beers to her one. He was drunk before halftime. The score was Duke up by a considerable margin.

Bonnie's phone buzzed with a text from Damon.

_Wisconsin beats Kentucky. You heard it here first._

The witch laughed at his bold statement. Kentucky remained undefeated. The Notre Dame game exposed a few weaknesses but it's the final score that counts. Bonnie knew Kentucky would come out ahead. She wrote back:

_The Badgers will be the Wildcats bedtime snack. You heard it here first._

Momentarily Damon's response came:

_Pa-lease… im not sure if you saw the honey badger video or not, but they are crazy… way too crazy to lose to a pathetic wildcat_

Bonnie replied back:

_The only one bringing the crazy is you. _

Damon wrote:

_I never am wrong twice in a row. I'll tell you what is going to happen:_

_Wisconsin beats Kentucky_

_Duke beats Michigan_

_Duke will then go on to beat Wisconsin in the championship game._

Bonnie replied:

_I am so confident that Wisconsin will never make it past Kentucky tonight that I am willing to forgive you of your $20 debt to me. Otherwise you pay up tomorrow._

Damon wrote back:

_Deal._

Bonnie wrote back:

_See you tomorrow with my 20_

The vampire replied:

_Not happening._

Then a few seconds later a text came through:

_Happy Easter_

That was a little odd but Bonnie replied with a similar sentiment. It was only then that Tyler noticed that Bonnie was texting with Damon.

She prepared herself for the speech that she assumed was coming. Yes, Damon did murder his Uncle Mason. But Bonnie hadn't exactly been an innocent party to that situation. In fact she'd helped Damon kidnap Mason. Now had she known Damon was going to kill him, she might have done things differently. The bottom line was she had Lockwood blood on her hands too.

Then she suspected he might bring up Vicki Donovan and the fact that Damon turned her which ultimately led to her death. The list of things Damon had done wrong far exceeded the list of things he had done right. There was no arguing his history of murder. Bonnie wasn't even going to try.

Though, it seemed that Tyler was going to comment on a completely different aspect of their conversation.

"Did you just bet against Wisconsin?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Bonnie replied full of confidence. "They can't take Kentucky."

"You do remember last year when Kentucky beat them in the final four game – right?"

"Nooo," Bonnie answered hesitantly. She was fairly certain she was dead last spring (at least during March Madness).

"This is the ultimate rematch," Tyler continued. "My money is on Wisconsin."

"Really?" Bonnie wasn't so sure about her decision now.

"Wisconsin's been watching game film of Kentucky and Kentucky's been watching game film of themselves. I'm not a coach but I can tell you the way to win is not to watch yourself. You have to see what the other team does."

"I didn't see that article," Bonnie said quietly. "When was it posted?"

"It wasn't an article. Didn't you watch any of the interviews Thursday?"

Well, she would have but Damon took her to Brunch with the Bunny and she couldn't hear anything…but with his vampire hearing…. NO! Bonnie's mind screamed. NO! He wouldn't.

Wouldn't what? Cheat? Of course he would. This was Damon Salvatore.

"Here look at this," Tyler scrolled through links on his phone. "This is the official NCAA website."

She looked at the screen to see that in the most recent poll Wisconsin had 51 percent of the votes to Kentucky's 49 percent to win tonight's game. Maybe if she had seen that she wouldn't have been so eager to take that bet against Damon.

Angrily Bonnie slammed down beer after beer until she was at pace with Tyler. When she passed out it was halftime of Kentucky-Wisconsin game. The score was tied at 36.

She woke up sometime in the wee hours of the morning to a text from Damon.

_Not only am I incredibly sexy I am now debt free_

"No," Bonnie scowled as she checked the game scores.

Wisconsin 71 Kentucky 64

She just lost $20 (and a small piece of her pride) to Damon Salvatore.

**~ April 5, 2015 ~ Easter Sunday ~ Noon ~ Bonnie's House~**

"Are you sure you hid all twelve eggs?" Bonnie asked Tyler.

Apparently after she passed out the previous night, Tyler took it upon himself to hide the dozen eggs they'd dyed inside the house. After an hour of searching they'd only found eight. Being that Tyler was drunk when he hid them he couldn't exactly remember where they were.

"I hid them all," he assured her while biting at his lip. "At least, I thought I did."

"TYLER!" Bonnie punched his shoulder. But they were both laughing. Stupid as it may seem, going on an Easter Egg Hunt for eggs that may or may not be hidden had been fun.

"I'm going to try a locator spell." Heck, if it worked for vibrators – maybe it would work for eggs too.

Sitting down at the table with Tyler, an empty bottle of beer and the carton the eggs had been stored in, the witch proceeded to chant her little spell over a penciled sketch of the floorplan.

Unbelievably the spell directed them to the kitchen.

"The kitchen?" Bonnie asked Tyler, who could only shrug.

Once inside they looked through all the cabinets and the fridge. They looked in the stove and the microwave. The pantry. The baker's rack.

But there were no Easter eggs to be found.

"My spell must have picked these up," Bonnie said to Tyler as she held a half dozen container of fresh eggs in her hand.

"They are eggs," Tyler agreed.

Feeling a little spontaneous, Bonnie pretended to put the eggs back in the fridge. Instead she removed one and threw it across the kitchen at an unsuspecting Tyler. With his quick reflexes, Tyler put his hands out to catch the egg but Bonnie had thrown it too hard. It cracked and splattered all over his hands and sleeves and shirt.

"You are so dead, Bennett," Tyler threatened as he chased after her with egg-soaked hands. Bonnie dashed out through the back door and into the yard. For the sake of the neighbors she was trying not scream but Tyler was fast and he almost got her. Throwing down a plastic yard chair and forcing her pursuer to hurdle it, Bonnie gained a few feet as she ran out to the front of the house and then up the steps and back inside, locking the door behind her.

She heard Tyler pounding on the front door as she rushed to lock the back door. Secured in her home, Bonnie could hear Tyler's plea, "I promise to wash my hands."

She let him sweat it out a few minutes longer before opening the door. Tyler had taken his shirt off and used it to wipe himself clean. Bonnie was sure some of her neighbors were enjoying the view.

Down the street came Matt Donovan's truck. Bonnie and Tyler exchanged a look as they watched Matt park in her driveway. They didn't have to be told that things must not have worked out with his mother. As the blonde got out of the car with large potted Easter lily, Bonnie rushed over and swept him up a big hug.

"Thank you," she smiled taking the plant from him.

"Actually, that was for Tyler," Matt joked as he and Lockwood exchanged the guy's 'half-hug."

"Hitting us for a second dinner, huh?" Tyler replied keeping the mood light.

"You know it," Matt patted his shoulder. Bonnie could see the relief on his face at not having to explain his unexpected appearance.

"Well, if you want to eat," Tyler continued leading Matt up to the house. "You have to find the last four Easter eggs which are hidden somewhere in Bonnie's house."

"Seriously?" Matt looked at Tyler. "You guys hid eggs?" His gaze shifted to Bonnie for confirmation.

"He did it when he was drunk," Bonnie offered with a lop-sided grin.

"Oh," Matt smiled at Tyler. "And now you can't remember where they are."

"It's like you read my mind," Tyler proclaimed.

"More like I've been drunk with you one too many times," Matt laughed. "Guess how many times we've lost the TV remote because someone," Matt sent his thumb in the direction of Tyler. "Forgot where he put it."

"Never," Tyler answered. "I always find it."

"You mean _I_ always find it," Matt punched Tyler jokingly.

"See if you can find those eggs," Bonnie punched them both. "Because I do not want to smell them three days from now. I'm going to heat up dinner."

As she headed into the kitchen Bonnie overheard Tyler's annoying, "Already checked there. And there. Nope. We looked there. There too. I'm telling you – I got creative with these last four."

Setting the lily on the window ledge, Bonnie ran her fingers along the smooth green leaves. Matt was incredibly thoughtful and she wished his mother would realize what an amazing son she had.

In the midst of glazing the spiral pre-cooked ham (Bonnie wasn't about to compare herself to Rachel Ray) she heard the toilet flush then Matt's elated proclamation, "Found them!"

_No wonder we didn't find them. Who hides eggs in a toilet?_ Bonnie thought to herself as she set the brush and glaze on the counter and went to investigate.

Matt was holding the bathroom trashcan which contained the crushed colored shells, evidence that Tyler ate the eggs instead of hiding them.

With the Mystery of the Missing Easter Eggs solved Bonnie gave Matt the extra Easter candy as a reward for his detective work.

"See," Tyler told him. "You're gonna make a great cop."

To which Matt replied, "And every cop needs a clueless partner. Did you submit your application yet?"

Bonnie returned to the kitchen to finish preparing the feast and let the guys talk about becoming police officers. She wondered if they would go the route of bike cops first – because that would be something to see.

**~ April 6, 2015 ~ 5 pm ~ The Grille~**

Bonnie stepped inside The Grille with Matt's truck keys in her hand. After another night of binge drinking and watching The Ten Commandments (It was Easter, after all), Tyler managed to lose Matt's keys. Donovan had to walk to work, not that The Grille was far, but Matt was hurting. He hadn't drunk that much since last summer and he was feeling it.

Bonnie gave him a sympathetic pat the shoulder as she handed him his keys. "Feel any better," she asked, receiving a pitiful grunt in reply as his head slumped forward.

"I feel like crap," he admitted.

"Oh Matt," Bonnie ruffled his hair with hand. "I hope the night goes by fast."

"Me too."

As Bonnie headed to the door she caught the eye of a certain ebony haired vampire sitting at the bar. The witch checked her imaginary wrist watch. "Game doesn't start for four hours," she casually mentioned.

"Then we'll have plenty of time to get there," he smiled, dangling a set of car keys. "You up for a road trip?"

"With you?" Bonnie's arms folded over her chest. "I don't think so."

"How about I sweeten the deal?" He picked up a gift bag from the floor and set it on the bar.

"How about you just give me my $20 and we call it a night?" Bonnie was still a little mad about losing the Wisconsin wager.

Damon chuckled to himself as he pushed the gift bag her way. "Open it."

"Fine," Bonnie conceded as she removed the crumpled tissue paper. Reaching inside she removed a folded square of blue fabric. As she opened it she saw that it was an official Duke University fitted tee shirt.

"I know you're a big fan," Damon sipped his drink. "I thought you might want to wear it for the big game tonight."

There was a part of Bonnie that wanted to scream, "YES!" and throw her arms around him. Instead she shrugged and replied, "I guess I could wear it."

"You can get changed in the car," Damon told her as he got up from his seat.

"What are you talking about?"

"Duke isn't _that_ far away," he explained. "I thought we could watch it on campus. Get the whole 'Duke' experience."

"Wait a minute," Bonnie gasped clutching the shirt to her chest. "You want to drive to Duke to watch the game."

Damon nodded.

"You know if they win…"

"Don't you mean when they win?" he winked at her.

"The entire campus will go crazy," Bonnie finished.

"I believe it was you who said that _I _bring the crazy," Damon looped an arm over her shoulder. "So what do you say, Bon-Bon?"

"Let's do this," Bonnie grinned.

As the witch sat down in the car Damon began undressing in the driver's seat.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie looked at him suspiciously.

"I have to put my shirt on," Damon said innocently.

"You CAN'T wear that to Duke!" Bonnie exclaimed at as he slipped on a bright red Wisconsin tee shirt.

"I can and I will," Damon informed her.

"I refuse to be seen with you," Bonnie stared at him in horror as he rolled down the window screaming GO BADGERS loudly to no one in particular.

"DAMON!" Bonnie slouched down in the seat, praying that no one she knew would see her. As the car peeled out the parking space Bonnie knew she'd be spending the next 100 plus miles arguing with Damon over his shirt.

And you know what,

Bonnie wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

**Congratulations to Coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke University Blue Devils on their 5th championship win.**

**Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyrus Jones - I believed in you from the beginning of the season! You had Heart and Talent and Drive. **

**Quinn Cook - what an amazing way to end your career at Duke**

**...and Grayson Allen - OMG! Where did you come from? I think you had the game of your life last night! -****There won't be another team like yours at Duke for many years to come. **

**Thank you for NOT busting my bracket this year.**

**-Gemma **


End file.
